Latitude – The degree to which a certain film stock can tolerate under- or overexposure. Reversal film, for all practical purposes, has a very little latitude. Color negative has a higher latitude, and particular of its latitude it is tolerant of much more overexposure than underexposure.

Lens Flare – It is caused when light strikes the lens and either causes the entire image to be fogged in appearance, or for a little row of polygons (the silhouette of the iris) to appear from the light hitting the surfaces of the many elements in the lens. It is solved by flagging the lens.

L.F.O.A. – This stands for Last Frame of Action, and basically it is just what it sounds like: the last frame of image and sound on a reel. It is important to the people who mix your film (it should be written on the cue sheet), especially if you need to do Pull Ups.

Lights – see Timing Lights.

Lightleak – Stray light that penetrates into a camera giving the film little patches of fog. Also the term for the access point itself. Typically light leaks occur around the camera door or where the magazine is joined to the camera body. Often they can be easily prevented with camera tape around the door.

Lip Sync – Another way of saying Sync Sound. Most music videos use lip sync.

Loading Booth – A small darkroom sometimes found on a sound stage for loading film into magazines as a roomier alternative to a Changing Bag.

Location Sound – This is the sync sound, or any other sort of wild track or room tone that was recorded at the shoot. Same as Production Sound.

Locked Cut – The so-called final cut of a film when there are to be no more changes to picture.

Locked Down Shot – A shot taken with the pan and tilt releases on the tripod tightened so that the camera will not move. Often done for certain effects where camera movement would ruin the illusion, such as a cut that causes a character to magically disappear from a scene or for time lapse effects.

Long Lens – A lens with a focal length greater than 25mm in 16mm, or 50mm in 35mm, which, like binoculars, will provide a view that magnifies a small area.

Loop – 1.: Slack film above and below the gate to allow a transition from the constant motion of the supply and take up rollers to the intermittent motion that takes place at the gate. 2.: A small magnifier useful in the editing room. 3.: see Dubbing.

Looping – see Dubbing. Called looping because the film is on a loop to give the actor several tries at a line. Also called A.D.R.

Low Con Print – A low contrast print specifically for transfer to video, which favors less contrast in the transfer process.